All posts tagged Homeland

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from the most recent episode of “Homeland.”

We’ve reached the midway point of the season, which means episode six of “Homeland” was chock-full of melodrama, shocking deaths and a frightening cliffhanger. In a stunning turn of events (although, the sunbathing break by a stream was a glaring red flag that Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma) wasn’t going to survive the episode), Carrie Mathison’s (Claire Danes) lover/recruit ended up dead at the hands of his Taliban-leader uncle, Haissam Haqqani, who was tipped off to the fact that his nephew was (unknowingly) working for the CIA.

But Aayan’s unwitting martyrdom is quickly usurped by the revelation (to Carrie) that Haqqani and his crew of terrorists have taken Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) hostage. It’s a good thing Carrie orchestrated this entire exchange – and was conveniently able to watch the showdown via drone from her cushy seat at the embassy command center – because now her mission is obviously going to be saving Saul from the clutches of the Taliban. The only wrinkle? Aayan’s murder triggered a quintessential Carrie meltdown, which in turn distracted the rest of her drone team from tailing the car carrying Saul. Read More »

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from the most recent episode of “Homeland.”

It wouldn’t be an episode of ”Homeland“ if Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) wasn’t being exceptionally imprudent, and now her maddening behavior is starting to rub off on her colleagues, as well as exasperate them to no end. She spends the majority of the episode ensconced in her Islamabad safe house, continuing to seduce (because why use any other number of smarter recruitment tactics when taking off your clothes is always a sure thing?) the scared, unsuspecting medical student Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma).

This turns into the ultimate Charlie Foxtrot for Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) and Fara Sharazi (Nazanin Boniadi), who are hot on the tail of a cleric connected to the now-alive Taliban terrorist (and Aayan’s uncle) Haissam Haqqani. But since Carrie would rather teach Aayan how to pleasure a woman instead of keep the lines of communication open between herself and her fellow agents, Quinn and Fara don’t get the resources (i.e. a drone) they need in order to keep the cleric from slipping out of their reach. Oh, and did we mention that the same car carrying the cleric has a kidnapped Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) in the trunk? Read More »

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from the most recent episode of “Homeland.”

Now that we’re a quarter of the way into the season, “Homeland” has started ramping up the conspiracy and intrigue factors as Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) moves forward in her seemingly one-woman battle for truth, justice and the American way. A tipoff from her U.S. Embassy colleague/frenemy, deputy station chief John Redmond (Michael O’Keefe) reveals Sandy Bachman’s (Corey Stoll) death was orchestrated by a local Islamabad hood named Farhad Ghazi, who was outsourced by the ISI. But this discovery is small potatoes compared to Fara Sharazi (Nazanin Boniadi) stumbling onto the fact that the Taliban terrorist Haissam Haqqani, thought to be killed in the drone strike from the season premiere, is very much alive and strolling around with his medical-student nephew/unwitting CIA recruit Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma).

So how much of the episode was true to form from an intelligence perspective, and how much of it was pure Hollywood? We checked in with the International Spy Museum’s historian and curator, Dr. Vince Houghton, for Speakeasy’s weekly series on what “Homeland” gets right, and where its accuracy falls short. Read More »

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from the most recent episode of “Homeland.”

Now installed as chief of station in Islamabad, Pakistan, Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) had her hands full in the third episode of “Homeland.” Her recent promotion has done little to curb her reckless behavior, but at least she didn’t almost-drown her baby daughter in the bathtub this week. In “Shalwar Kameez,” Carrie juggled sexism and resentment in the workplace, establishing her own rogue team outside the U.S. Embassy – nice to see you again, CIA analyst Fara Sharazi (Iranian-born actress Nazanin Boniadi, promoted this season to series regular) – and recruiting a Pakistani medical student (“Life of Pi” star Suraj Sharma) to help her solve the mystery of her predecessor’s death. So how much of the episode was true to form from an intelligence perspective, and how much of it was pure Hollywood? We checked in with the International Spy Museum’s historian and curator, Dr. Vince Houghton, for Speakeasy’s weekly series on what “Homeland” gets right, and where its accuracy falls short.

Below is Dr. Vince Houghton’s take on episode three of “Homeland” (“Shalwar Kameez”), as told to Sarene Leeds. Read More »

Warning: This post contains major spoilers from the season premiere of “Homeland.”

With the spy thriller “Homeland” essentially hitting the “reboot” button following its bizarre and altogether disappointing third season, Claire Danes and Co. have kicked off the Showtime drama’s fourth season with a fresh, Brody-less storyline (apologies to Dana fans) that finds Danes’ bipolar but brilliant CIA agent Carrie Mathison back in the field as Chief of station first in Kabul, Afghanistan, and then at the close of the two-episode premiere, of Islamabad, Pakistan. While the narrative is far more engaging than those of previous seasons (Carrie has given birth to her dead lover Nicholas Brody’s baby, but her role as mother remains murky, at best), Speakeasy was interested in getting a better handle on the veracity of Carrie’s intelligence work, which, unfortunately, is still lacking in various areas. To guide us through “Homeland’s” Season Four hits and misses, we will be speaking with the International Spy Museum’s historian and curator, Dr. Vince Houghton, about each episode to learn about what the series gets right, and where accuracy is sometimes sacrificed in the name of a captivating story. Read More »

Corey Stoll is heading into a big weekend, and he’s on the verge of capping a huge year.

The actor appeared in HBO’s “The Normal Heart” and the Liam Neeson thriller “Non-Stop” earlier this year, and he recently co-starred in the ensemble comedy “This Is Where I Leave You.” His new film, “The Good Lie,” opens in theaters across the U.S., while the first season of “The Strain,” the FX vampire-action-thriller, comes to a close Sunday. Oh yeah, he’s also guest starring in Showtime’s “Homeland,” which begins its fourth season Sunday.

Stoll talked with Speakeasy about what he learned from his cast mates in “The Good Lie,” what fans can expect from the season finale of “The Strain,” and what it’s like being the bad guy in a Marvel superhero extravaganza. Click through to read the interview: Read More »

In their rush to brandish pitchforks over “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany’s nominations snub, some Emmy watchers overlooked a surprising addition to the familiar lineup of lead-actress nominees: Lizzy Caplan. She earns her first Emmy nod for playing sex researcher Virginia Johnson in the Showtime series “Masters of Sex.”

On Sunday night, some major TV characters met their ends, while one came back from the dead. The latter soap opera-style resurrection aside, the prime-time death toll has seemed especially high lately, even for a period of mid-season cliffhangers and finales. And there are more to come: Not long ago, “Simpsons” producer Al Jean announced that a regular character would die during the current season.

Such culls have become more common as producers try to prevent fans from getting complacent, and prove that there are high stakes in their storytelling. Now, with the obligatory warning about spoilers for shows whose fictional bodies are still warm, here’s a look at some of the biggest casualties of the season. Read More »

This episode caps a season full of twists and turns, and starts without the usual credit roll, straight to the scene where we left off last week.

Brody has Akbari’s blood on his hands, and he tries to clean up the mess by hiding the body behind the desk. He takes Akbari’s gun and exits, and just as his car is leaving the premises, guards appear to chase him down. Brody holds a gun to the driver’s head and escapes.

Carrie calls Saul to tell him Brody followed through with the mission, but Saul is suspicious. She tells him to confirm the extraction plan so she and Brody can get out alive. Read More »

As the episode begins, Saul approaches Alain Bernard (Mira’s friend, who was caught spying on Saul) and tells him to get help for the mission in Tehran. Saul needs two Mossad agents on the ground.

Brody, whose task is to meet with Akbari, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, gives his cover story of how he ended up in Caracas and now seeks asylum. An official is skeptical and grills him, but Brody loses patience with the interrogation. “I just thought I’d be safe here. I just thought I’d be welcome,” he says, because he “bombed Langley, their heart.”

Javadi stands in the background, going along and pretending to question Brody. Read More »

Two weeks ago, actress and singer Patti LuPone grabbed a cell phone out of the hand of an audience member who was texting during a performance of her current play, "Shows for Days." The bold move led to an outpouring of support from fans fed up with glowing screens. Ms. LuPone gives us her five rules of theater etiquette.